Ultimate Revenge
by Floopowder-Abuser
Summary: Ginny needs to take revenge on Harry and Ron. Unfortunately she is a bit distracted when she lands the lead in her Muggle Studies' musical...alongside Draco Malfoy. THIS CHAPTER Draco gets whats coming to him, and the dancing auditions take place.
1. Before the Storm

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-Chapter One-

-Before the Storm-

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"Hermione, please, talk Parvati out of this! I won't ask anything of you ever again, I swear - but don't let that girl get her hands on me!"

Ginny was distraught. Every day for the past year Parvati Patil (whom Ginny did not particularly care for at the moment) had been wanting to do Ginny's hair and makeup. And, in turn, every day for the past year Ginny had said, "You can do it tomorrow." Finally, Ginny had no more excuses. She could not put it off any longer. Ginny, who was in her sixth year, was currently pleading to her close friend, Hermione.

"Ginny," Hermione said with an air of calmness and peace that upset Ginny, "Parvati doesn't mean any harm - she just wants to… exercise her creative side a bit."

Ginny's eyes widened, and she quickly snapped back, "Well if Parvati 'exercising her creative side' results in me looking like a muggle clown, I will not be part of it!"

The disheveled and angry redhead plopped down on the edge of her bed in her dormitory defiantly, crossing her arms.

"Ginny, it could be fun," Hermione said in a delicate voice, as a mother would persuade a child. "I mean, it's not very _productive_, but I admit, it might be an entertaining experience. And –" she said, her voice lowering mysteriously, "Your boyfriend would be speechless."

Ginny snorted. Her boyfriend – Harry Potter – _would_ be speechless. He never talked to her, anyway.

Ginny seemed to consider this before saying, "Well, I don't _need _someone to do my hair and makeup, especially from the primped-and-dolled up Parvati monster! I _don't _like makeup. If you think that it is such a good idea, then by all means go ahead and take my place!"

Hermione forced back a scowl. "I don't absorb myself in my looks," she said simply.

"Well neither do I!" Ginny exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "What's the difference?"

Hermione chose to ignore that question. "Ginny," she whispered pleadingly, "If Parvati gets this out of her system then she won't do it again for a while. Think about it: You could be the savior for all the other innocent girls she's preyed on." Hermione smiled, knowing that Ginny would give in.

Ginny was at a loss for words. There was nothing she could do now.

Nothing could save her.

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Two hours later, Ginny looked like a clown, just as she had predicted. Ginny and Parvati were in the Parvati had pulled a few strings and purchased Ginny some decent garments (decent material, that is). Ginny was now surveying herself in the mirror with a look of frank disgust on her face.

"Parvati, I don't feel comfortable in skirts. I'm not used to wearing them," Ginny said, whining. "I really only wear my uniform."

Parvati was admiring her handiwork, and her smile broadened at Ginny's words. "That's the _point_, silly – you need to _get _used to wearing different clothes, because you look amazing in them."

Ginny scowled as Parvati started working on her hair again. She was tempted to say, "So what, I don't look amazing unless I'm wearing minimal clothing?" But she resisted; she knew the answer to that.

Her body was nice, and her hair made a statement, but overall Ginny was a rather plain looking person. She didn't know why she was dating Harry Potter in the first place, it's not like he actually paid attention to her. Ginny thought about her relationship (or lack therof) with Harry, her eyebrows furrowing.

Her hands automatically went up to stroke her chin, a corny little quirk she had for whenever she was thinking hard. Parvati instantly swatted her hand away.

"Don't mess up your make up," she said loudly, shaking her head at Ginny in disbelief. She resumed working on Ginny's hair, muttering about not furrowing eyebrows because it will cause premature wrinkles. Ginny just continued to scowl.

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When Parvati finally shoved Ginny down the entire length of the stairs (Ginny just wanted to change into different clothes and wash her face) to show off her 'masterpiece,' there were not many people there. Harry and Ron, (they are never apart, Ginny thought), Neville, and a ghost that was floating by.

Harry and Ron were immersed in their chess game. When Parvati cleared her throat to draw the attention away from the chess game and towards Ginny, they all looked up. Their reactions were exactly what Ginny expected.

Harry looked up, shrugged, and then went back to his chess game. Ron's ears immediately turned pink. He stood up and marched toward Parvati.

"What is the meaning of this! You make her take that off right now!" Ron yelled at her, his face not looking too much different from a tomato. "I will not have my sister traipsing around in some little skirt while all the males –" He gestured briefly at Harry, who really wasn't paying attention, "- can't take their eyes off her!"

Ginny, for once, agreed with Ron, even though she wished that she didn't. "Yeah, Parvati, I really don't –"

Parvati cut her off, "Ron, for one, Ginny _can't_ take off her clothes right this _second_, she's in the middle of the common room. And it doesn't seem to me that anyone is obsessing about her body right now except _you_!"

Ron glared at Parvati. "Well, Neville's looking at her," he said to Parvati, motioning to Neville.

Parvati turned to look at Neville and saw his mouth hanging open.

"But Ron," she said in an undertone, "It's _Neville_."

Ron seemed to consider this for a moment, and then just shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter, Parvati. I want my sister out of those ridiculous clothes now."

Ginny glanced over at Harry. He was looking bored, watching the fight disinterestedly, his eyes glazed over. Was this how he felt about her? Did he honestly not care if she was dressed like a slut, out in the open for all the boys to ogle her?

Ginny spoke up. "Harry, what do you think?" Harry snapped out of his stupor as Ron and Parvati turned to look of them, their arms crossed.

"Er, Gin, I don't really care either way," he said unconcernedly. "You do what you want."

Ginny's ears turned pink.

"You honestly don't give a damn about what I do?" she said, her voice like ice. There was an uncomfortable pause. "I mean, it's one thing to be a control freak –" she shot an angry glance at Ron, "-but it's another thing entirely to not care at _all_."

Ron and Parvati gaped at Ginny in surprise. Harry looked taken aback.

"I didn't mean it like that, Gin –" he said, standing up.

"You know, I think you did," spat Ginny. "We don't have a normal girlfriend-boyfriend relationship; as a matter of fact, we barely even _talk_ anymore. I don't even know why you asked me out in the first place!"

Ginny glared at Harry, while Harry put a sheepish look on his face. Ginny turned to look at Ron, who was fidgeting uncomfortably.

"What's wrong with you?" she snapped at Ron.

"Nothing," he said quickly, turning a shade of puce.

"Don't lie to me," Ginny said, her eyes narrowed accusingly. "If you don't tell me what it is, I am going to tell everyone about those _special_ magazines you have-"

"Okay, okay," Ron said hurriedly, cutting her off. "I….kind of…made Harry ask you out."

Harry's face turned red and he looked away, and Parvati was watching them like it would be the last piece of gossip she'd ever get to spread. Ginny's face immediately turned purple.

"Oh," she said. "You _made_ him, fancy that, that is _so like you_. So you think you have that much control over my life, Ronald Bilius Weasley!"

Ron turned purple as well at her announcing his middle name to everyone. Parvati made a mental note about his middle name.

"And Harry, how **_dare_** you do this to me," Ginny said, screaming. She turned back to Ron. "You always try to control every single aspect of my life. I'm surprised that you haven't already investigated which types of brassieres I wear!"

At this point Neville exited the common room, mumbling something about important homework. No one noticed him leave.

"Well, you know what," Ginny exclaimed, "You can't control what I _look _like. I have decided that I am keeping this new look, and there is nothing you can do about it!

With that, Ginny marched up into the Girl's Dormitory, leaving Parvati excited, Harry looking guilty, and Ron on the verge of hyperventilating.

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A couple minutes later, Ginny lay down on her bed, crying. How could Harry do this to her? How did Ron get him to ask her out? _Why _did he?

Ginny rolled over onto her side and curled into a ball, knowing that she needed to stick by her word on keeping her new look. She would show Ron.

Merlin, what had she gotten herself into?

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A/N: NEED A BETA. PLEASE. This chapter was lengthened and edited. I have a loose plot going on here, so if anyone wants to make suggestions and tell me what should happen, I'm always open for your imput! Also - uses reverse psychology Do not review! Never, ever review! Never! (I hope you know what reverse psychology is: Review!) I need criticism so I can make the story better.


	2. Step into Boiling Water

IMPORTANT A/N: If this chapter doesn't make sense to you, then you read the unedited version of chapter one – go back and read it. Also, need a beta! I REALLY need a beta reader, please!

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-Chapter Two-

-Step into Boiling Water-

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Ginny looked at herself in the mirror, breathing in and out slowly.

She really did look like a tramp. Well, at least she thought she did – either way she wasn't used to looking like this, so she felt quite awkward. She was wearing a little black and lacy camisole, which she thought was cute. When it was paired with a very short skirt, however, it was just too much.

Or…too little? It certainly didn't take much fabric to make the clothes that she was wearing.

She was not talking to Harry.

As far as she was concerned, they were no longer dating. They had never really been dating in the first place; it was all a lie. Did Ron think that she needed a boyfriend like Harry to watch her back all the time? She did not! She could fend for herself. As a matter of fact, she could have the worst person in the world as her boyfriend and it wouldn't make any difference. She needed a plan to get back at Ron and Harry, to punish them for everything that they had done to her.

It was worth a try, anyway.

Ginny stepped away from the mirror and grabbed a piece of spare parchment off of her headstand, along with a quill and an inkwell. She sat down at a small oak desk that was up against the wall, and proceeded to write.

__

Steps to Ultimate Revenge

Ginny winced. That sounded just a tad evil. 'Ultimate revenge' sounded a tad harsh for the situation at hand... _Although,_ Ginny thought angrily, _they didn't give it a second thought when they did those cruel and evil things to _me. And so, she continued to write.

_If Ron tells you to do something, do the exact opposite (except in rare cases, i.e. he tells you not to jump off of a cliff). Make Harry jealous. _

Ginny paused. Well, if Harry never really _liked_ her, then how could she make him jealous? Was that even possible? _Hmm_…she thought. _There's always a way to make someone jealous._ _I'll just have to find out what it is. _She resumed writing once more.

_Reveal Ron and Harry as the cowards that they are. _

This would be easy. She'd just have to be all buddy-buddy with Parvati for a while, and 'accidentally' slip some information about Ron and Harry that they would not want getting out. Including Ron's 'special' magazines.

__

Honestly, Parvati is obsessed with gossiping, Ginny thought, smiling and shaking her head slightly. She wasn't able to think of anything else to put on her list, but it really didn't matter. She just needed to remember what she had to do.

And with that, she headed down to the Great Hall to eat her Saturday-morning breakfast. She held her head up high, hoping that she was doing the right thing.

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Ginny was surprised and relieved to find out that not many people cared about her new look. There were a few whispers and a few prolonged looks shot her way, but other than that there wasn't particular uproar over it. As Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Parvati, she could almost feel the heat radiating from Ron, even though he was on the other side of the table. She watched him as he dug his knife into his plate ferociously, his face steadily purpling as he cut up his egg. Ginny also noticed that Harry had glanced over at her nervously before resuming his conversation with Hermione. __

Jerk, Ginny's mind seethed, as she too proceeded to cut up her egg venomously.

"What's wrong, Gin?" Parvati whispered to Ginny, nudging her in the ribs softly.

"You know what's wrong," Ginny returned, shooting her a furtive glance. "You saw the whole thing." 

"Oh, _that_," said Parvati innocently, taking a sip of juice.

Ginny was lost in her thoughts. Maybe she should just write to Mum about the whole thing, and have her give some advice. No, no – then Mum would only be mad to hear about her fit of rebellion…_What should I tell Parvati?_ Ginny then thought. _Ooh, Ron and Harry should not have done what they did, they _know_ that I have loads of dirt on them –_

Ginny nearly choked on her egg in surprise when she heard Dumbledore's voice ring throughout the Great Hall. He was sitting at the head table with the fellow Professor's, and he seemed to be in a good mood. His wizard's hat swayed with him as he turned to whisper something in Professor McGonagall's ear. 

"I said, may I have your attention please?" His deep voice rang throughout the hall again as he turned back to face them.

Everyone looked at him curiously, awaiting his announcement. He rarely made announcements at mealtimes, usually just at feasts and other special occasions.

"Will all of the students who are currently taking Muggle Studies meet your teacher outside of the Great Hall? She has some news to share with you, news that we are all very excited about."

Dumbledore shot a look at Professor Snape, who seemed to be brooding.

"Well, most of us are," Dumbledore muttered, before sitting down and continuing to eat.

There were whispers all around. Easily one-fourth of the school was in Muggle Studies, and not one of the students had a clue what was going on.

__

I wonder what's going on, Ginny thought, looking at all the people around her standing up. _What are we going to do in Muggle Studies?_

She glanced at Hermione, who was starting to stand up; Hermione motioned for Ginny to come with her. Ginny stood up as well, and walked over to Hermione.

"I like your new look," Hermione whispered to Ginny, smiling, as they walked down the length of the Great Hall, and walked outside into the hallway. Ginny smiled, knowing that Hermione was teasing her.

"I heard what happened with Ron and Harry, although I'm sure that they were exaggerating parts of it," said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "They retold it quite animatedly. I'm sorry they are being such prats." 

"It's okay," Ginny said dismissively. _They'll be sorry, anyway,_ she thought, smirking rather evilly. Hermione didn't notice.

They gathered at the same spot that the rest of the students had, and waited for their teacher. Ginny could just make out Draco Malfoy's head bobbing through the crowd of students. She grimaced and whispered to Hermione, "What's _Malfoy_ doing in _Muggle_ Studies?"

Hermione followed Ginny's line of sight to look at Malfoy, and whispered back, "Dunno."

Just then their teacher, Professor Alston silenced the students by clapping her hands together. She was a short, rather pudgy woman with extremely curly blond hair, and she looked to be in her mid-fifties. She was a boisterous and lively woman, and this was the only reason that a lot of the students weren't bored to death in her class.

"I know that all of you are from different Muggle Studies classes," she said loudly, "And I'm sure that you are wondering why you are all here together." 

A murmur of agreement swept through all the students before Professor Alston continued, looking like she was trying not to smile. "This is concerning your Muggle Studies final," she said.

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Our final? Ginny thought confused. _We've only been in school a couple of months; finals are eight months away!_

"For your Muggle Studies final, the Muggle Studies classes will all come together to work as a group."

Ginny didn't know what sort of final they could possibly be having that included them working as a group. She didn't know whether to be excited about this prospect, or scared out of her bloody mind.

"We," Professor Alston said dramatically, "Are going to be putting on a musical!"

__

Oh, Merlin, Ginny thought.

…Scared out of her bloody mind.

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Next chapter: The mandatory dancing, singing and acting auditions! This should be interesting…

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A/N: Bwahahaha! . This should be fun. Thank you for reviewing, at least a few people like the story.

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CatJetRat – Thank you for being my first reviewer! Um, by H/G I meant Harry/Ginny…but it's okay that you like Hr/G….whatever floats your boat. And Ginny does pretty much look like a tramp in the story, not that the guys mind. .

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Jeeths – Yes, it will be D/G! I love D/G too, my favorite pairing to read. I hope you keep reading my story, After I upload this chapter I am going to read yours.

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Notlistening – I completely agree. Well, it started out H./G, but that came to an abrupt halt, so now she is all open for Draco! Hope you likey.

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Nyah1 – Ron does suck. He really, truly is a git. But hey, I'm sure deep down he's a teddy bear. -- lol, thanks for reviewing!

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	3. Ice Can Burn

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-Chapter Three-

-Ice Can Burn-

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At Professor Alston's words, half of the students were obviously ecstatic, and half were obviously distraught.

Ginny was among the distraught.

They expected her to perform in front of everyone? There was _no_ way she was going to do that! She did _not _like being the center of attention like that, which was another reason why she did not want to be given a new look.

She should have never chosen Muggle Studies as an elective, Ginny decided right then. It was all Hermione's fault anyway, she was the one who suggested taking it in the first place.

"There will be mandatory auditions tomorrow in the Great Hall, promptly after lunch, at one-thirty," spoke Professor Alston loudly.

"The audition will be broken up into three parts: the singing, the acting, and the dancing, which are all critical to any musical. If you - _unwisely_ - decide not to participate for the entire audition, you will automatically fail the class. Just to make sure everyone is on the same page, this _is_ considered your final. Your overall cooperation, participation, and effort for the duration of this project will earn you a passing grade. If you feel that you should be excused from anything concerning this project, please take it up with me privately. That is all."

Ginny would blow the audition. That was what she would have to do. She would purposefully do a terrible job, and hopefully, in turn, be given a miniscule and unimportant role.

On the students' way back into the Great Hall to finish eating, they had each been handed a script of the musical that they would be performing, along with a detailed list of the characters in it, and a list of auditioning tips.

...

Oh Merlin, the audition.

Did she have to audition in front of everybody, or did they each go in one by one? For some reason Ginny had a feeling that it would be the former, even though she did _not_ want it to be.

Currently, Ginny was lying in her bed in the sixth year girl's dormitory. It was late at night and she hadn't been able to get to sleep, so she had lit a candle and proceeded to read over the list of roles.

_Milkman/woman: Two speaking lines, no solo dancing or singing.  
_  
_Hmm, this could work,_ thought Ginny dully.

Ginny had thought that - because of the numerous amounts of people in the Muggle Studies classes - most of the people would _have_ to be in the chorus and not do any solo work. Sadly, this was not the case. There were many, many roles, enough for almost everybody to have a solo part, whether it be solo acting, dancing, or singing.

_I hope I don't get _this_ role,_ Ginny thought, reading the description for the role of a beggar. _Malfoy would have a field day.  
_  
This was not going to be fun.

...

Ginny had finally gotten to sleep about an hour later. Because of this, when she woke up, she felt anything but relaxed. It was eight o'clock in the morning, and she had only slept for two measly hours.

Ginny rubbed her eyes, yawned, and sat up, wishing that she didn't have to go to breakfast. She was hungry, but on the other hand, she was extremely tired.

Ginny sat still on the edge of her bed for a moment, her eyes glazing over as she stared at a spot on the floor. It definitely was not healthy to have two hours of sleep.

_Screw it_, she thought resolutely, flopping back down in bed. _I'll just have a big lunch._

It took her mere seconds for her to fall back asleep.

"Ginny..."

Ginny heard a voice swimming around her, which thoroughly annoyed her, as all she wanted was quiet. Who was talking? Moreover, _why_ where they talking? Couldn't they see that she was trying to sleep?

"Ginny..."

She was just so _tired_. Ginny lifted her hand up vaguely, as if to swat the voice away. All she wanted was some rest.

Ginny felt someone shaking her lightly by the shoulders. She groaned in frustration, and rolled over on her side.

"Ginny, you have to get up. It's one-thirty, you need to get dressed."

One-thirty? For some reason Ginny felt a sense of dread overcome her at those words, and she didn't know why. What's so important about it being one-thirty? Who cares, it doesn't matter, that's neither here nor there...

Ginny suddenly gasped and shot up in bed. Hermione was bent over her slightly, looking worried, grasping her shoulders in mid-shake.

"The audition!" Ginny cried sharply. Hermione let go of Ginny's shoulders as Ginny hurriedly scrambled out of bed.

"I had been trying to wake you for about five minutes already," said Hermione exasperatedly as Ginny ran into the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush off of the counter. "If we don't leave for the Great Hall soon, we'll be late."

"Hermione, you could have screamed in my _ear_ to wake me up, it couldn't have been that hard!" Ginny said as best as she could through a mouthful of toothpaste foam.

"Honestly, I _tried_ to, you were sleeping like a log," said Hermione.

Ginny seemed to growl at these words, before proceeding to grab a hairbrush off of the counter as well, and comb out her thick, deep red hair.

When she hurriedly finished, Ginny walked over to her wardrobe to produce another skimpy and rather questionable outfit.

Hermione coughed, smiling when she saw this, and she did not say anything further.

…

Hermione and Ginny made it just on time, slightly out of breath as they scurried into the Great Hall. 

All of the other students were already there. There were numerous chairs set out across the hall, taking place of the house tables. There was also a small platform stage set out at the front of the hall, with a grand piano resting atop it.

Professor Alston had just stepped out in front of it, apparently preparing to talk, when Ginny and Hermione had rushed in. They both found vacant chairs, and took a seat next to each other.

All of the other Muggle Studies students had turned to look at them in annoyance, and Professor Alston shot them a stern, rather reprimanding look.

She was holding a rolled up piece of parchment, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

_I would feel uncomfortable too, if I had to watch people give horrible auditions,_ Ginny thought, holding back a groan as she felt butterflies starting to gather in her stomach.

"Now, I'm sure that you are all very excited about the auditions!" Professor Alston chirped a little too brightly, flashing everyone a big smile.

Ginny shook her head in disbelief as some of the students cheered. Among these people were Parvati Patil; but then again, that was to be expected; that girl loved all the attention.

"Yes, this whole project should be very fun," the Professor said, surveying all of her students with beady green eyes.

Draco Malfoy was among these students. He was sitting with Blaise, as Blaise was the only other Slytherin in Muggle Studies. Ginny was surprised to see that neither of them looked remotely nervous, or even bored. On the contrary, Blaise was leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring up at Professor Alston in rapt concentration. Draco had his arms crossed over his chest, but his mouth was open slightly as he was looking at Professor Alston, seeming to be very interested about the subject at hand.

Ginny couldn't fathom how they - of all people - could possibly enjoy this, when she herself loathed the prospect of performing.

_Maybe their eyes are glazed over, and they really are just pretending to be interested,_ thought Ginny. I can't tell from this distance, anyway.

"You _should_ have looked over the musical's script already. For those of you who did _not_ do this, however - shame on you," Professor Alston said in a berating sort of voice that made a few students giggle.

"Just to summarize the plot, this musical is about the hardships of life, and appreciating what you have. Anthony, the male lead, grew up in a poor family who could barely afford food, let alone anything extra. Despite these setbacks he found himself quite lucky. Rebecca - the female lead - on the other hand, grew up with many material possessions, but had a negative disposition."

Professor Alston paused, and started to pace slowly, rolling the piece of parchment around in her hands anxiously.

"Would anyone like to share his or her views on this? Why did Rebecca and Anthony turn out to be so different from each other?"

Ginny looked at the seat beside her that Hermione occupied, who - for once - seemed to have nothing to say. She was biting her bottom lip, apparently having to think about the question.

_Well, it's _obvious_ why they turned out different,_ thought Ginny, surprised that no one had raised their hand.

No one except Draco Malfoy, that is.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy," said Professor Alston lightly, as all of the students turned to look at him.

Draco looked calm and self-assured, like he did almost all of the time. Ginny found it absolutely infuriating; but then again, she found most everything Malfoy did infuriating.

"Children who are spoiled soon get bored with their toys," said Draco, uncrossing his arms and sitting up straighter in his seat. "After a while, no toy can occupy their attention. They have to find new ways to occupy their attention - including learning about the way the world works, and all the misfortunes that occur in it every day," he said matter-of-factly. Professor Alston raised her eyebrows and stopped pacing.

"I would imagine that Rebecca would have a hard time putting on a happy front when she has known - from a young age - that there are few reasons to be happy," he finished, relaxing into the back of his seat.

_What a load of dragon dung,_ thought Ginny. _Only Malfoy could pull that out of nowhere. Negative git._

"So, what you are saying, Mr. Malfoy," said Professor Alston slowly, "Is that Rebecca's innocence of reality was taken away at an early age?"

Everyone looked to Malfoy as he gave a deep nod.

"Very well, an interesting theory," said Professor Alston rather loudly. "Does anyone else have something that they would like to add?"

There was a slight pause.

"That's ridiculous," Ginny blurted out, not realizing she had said it out loud until everyone turned to look at her.

Professor Alston raised her eyebrow again, looking at Ginny oddly. "Well, go on then, tell us why you feel that way," she said.

Ginny blushed, but her expression did not falter.

"I don't think that's why Rebecca would be negative," said Ginny, shooting a very peeved glance at Malfoy. "Really. Anthony appreciates what he has, because he has so little. He realizes that his life could be worse. Rebecca, however, does not appreciate what she has, because she has never known anything different," Ginny stated as if it was as plain as day. "It's just the way it works, if you are handed everything you want on a silver platter then you don't appreciate it."

Professor Alston nodded approvingly right before Draco retorted from across the other side of the room.

"And you, Weasley, have had first hand experience of having many material possessions, so you would know what it's like," Draco said, looking over at her, innocently wide-eyed.

Ginny did not expect Draco to make this comment, even though she probably should have expected it. Her face purpled and shot him a lethal look.

"That is enough, Mr. Malfoy," said Professor Alston sharply. Malfoy then muttered, "Didn't think so," just loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Professor Alston ignored him.

"I think that's enough discussion, let's get straight onto the auditions, shall we?" she said on a brighter note.

"Each of you will sing a scale of notes on the piano, and, if you wish, a song. After that, you will be given a few lines to read from the script. When all of you have done this, we will take a break and proceed to the dancing portion. I will teach all of you a short routine, and then I will split you into groups of five to perform for me."

Ginny closed her eyes and looked down, trying to count to ten to calm herself. But instead of the numbers ringing through her head, all she could hear was her own mind screaming 'No!' over and over again.

Ginny did not open her eyes for a few seconds, but she could feel Hermione shaking nervously beside her.

_Why, oh why, couldn't we have written an essay for our final? _Ginny thought miserably.

"I will go through your names alphabetically," said Professor Alston said, raising her voice to quiet the nervous and excited murmur throughout the students. "When I call your name, come up to the stage. When a piano note plays, try your best to sing that note on key. After that, I will hand you a piece of parchment, and I want you to cold-read the lines for me. When you are done, step down from the stage."

Ginny glanced nervously at the enchanted piano sitting menacingly atop the small stage.

"Any questions?" the Professor continued, unrolling her parchment. "None? Alright then, let's get started."

It was a long process, and it seemed even longer to Ginny as she sat there. She wished that she could have done her audition first, that way she wouldn't have to worry about what she was going to do and actually enjoy watching the other people audition. She was going to be one of the very last people auditioning.

Joy.

_Well, at least Zabini is going after me,_ Ginny thought dully, looking over at him.

He had dark brown hair, light skin and sharp blue eyes, an interesting contrast to the person he was sitting next to.

Stupid Malfoy.

When Hermione's name was called, Ginny gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Hermione was visibly nervous as she approached the stage to sing.

As she stepped atop the stage, the enchanted piano ran through a scale of twenty keys. There wasn't anything special about Hermione's voice, but she seemed to be able to carry a tune, at least.

Hermione chose not so sing a song, and instead skipped right to reading the lines.

She didn't read the lines with any real emotion in her voice. Rather, it sounded dull, like she was reading straight from a dictionary. Although this was to be expected, the performing arts weren't exactly a strong point of Hermione's.

Ginny breathed out a sigh of relief as Hermione finished and proceeded to walk back to her seat; the audition could have gone much worse.

Ginny gave Hermione a smile as she sat back down next to her. "Good job," she whispered, leaning over to Hermione.

"Thanks," she whispered back, getting comfortable in her seat and letting out a huge breath. "I couldn't stand being up there on stage, it was nerve-wracking," she said, shaking her head slightly. "I'm so glad that it's over."

"Way to make me feel better," said Ginny with a smile. Hermione grinned as well, and muttered, "Sorry."

"It's okay," Ginny muttered back. "I don't think I can get any more nervous, anyway. Plus, it's not over at all; we still have to do the dance part after this."

Hermione groaned, "Merlin, I forgot all about that." She rubbed her fingers over her temples and sighed.

Ginny wished that she herself had forgotten about it. She was dreading it, and as she looked up at some poor person on the stage who's voice kept cracking as they sang, she realized that that could be her.

It probably _would_ be, soon.

She watched, one by one, as the students went up and auditioned, the quality ranging from literally terrifying, to really good. There weren't any really amazing auditions yet; but a few of them impressed Ginny. Colin Creevey, for example - he was an exceptional actor, he read his lines extremely well.

Ginny was looking forward to seeing Malfoy make a fool of himself so much that when his name was called, Ginny gave a slight squeak. Hermione looked over at Ginny with a raised eyebrow, and was obviously chewing on her tongue to prevent from laughing.

Malfoy looked rather bored as he got up and approached the stage, walking past her. He was wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and pants. Ginny gaped at him; she could not believe that Malfoy wasn't scorching, as she was in a teeny little skirt, and she was feeling overheated.

Malfoy sang the piano scale very well, which made Ginny glare. _This isn't how it's supposed to work,_ she thought, frustrated, _he's supposed to go up there and do an awful job!  
_  
_Well,_ Ginny thought, _he gets to make a fool out of himself either way when he recites his lines. _The lines that the men got to read were always lines that expressed love and affection, something that she knew Draco Malfoy did not have. No one is that good of an actor.

Draco studied his lines for a few seconds, then looked up to say them to everyone. He spoke softly. "We are like night and day, you and I. I know that and I except that. But does that make it wrong for me to feel the way I feel about you? It doesn't change anything. I know that times are rough, and I wish that I could say that it will get better, but it won't."

Draco was looking around the Great Hall, surveying everyone. He looked down at the piece of parchment every other line, but his movements were slow and discreet, and did not draw away from his audition.

"All I can say is that I love you, and hopefully that is enough for you," he continued.

He caught Ginny's eyes, but Ginny did not look away. Instead, she sat up straight in her seat, crossed her arms, and kept the eye contact, daring him on.

"I love you."

When Draco spoke these words, she became uncomfortable and fidgety. She broke eye contact, tucked a piece of hair behind ear, and looked down abruptly.

Hermione noticed Ginny's restlessness and whispered, "You okay?"

Ginny looked back at Hermione, whispering, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a bit unnerving to hear Malfoy say the word 'love.'"

Hermione nodded and turned back to look at the stage, where Professor Alston was whispering something in Draco's ear. Draco smirked at whatever she was saying, and then they broke away. Malfoy started to walk back to his seat as Professor Alston called the next name on her list.

As Draco walked closer to where she was seated, Ginny grew more and more restless. _Don't let him talk to me, please just let him go back to his seat._

But Draco did not walk past her and into his own seat, as he should have done. On the contrary, he knelt down so that his lips where right against her ear.

Ginny froze, wanting badly to shove him off of her and onto the floor, but he had already whispered into her ear.

"Break a leg, Weaselette."

She glared, her face reddening, but did not reply as he turned away from her and walked back towards his seat, smirking.

Nearly an hour later, her name was called.

She could still feel his hot breath against her ear.

…

Next Chapter: The rest of the auditions, the cast list, and Ginny is given instructions by Professor Alston that she not only loathes with a passion, but will help move the D/G plot along. .

…

A/N: My new beta reader isn't easy to get ahold of. I finally gave up, so just to let you know these chapters are not beta read, and that's why it took me a while to post this. Thankie!

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	4. In Which Ginny's Face Turns Red 50 Times

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Chapter Four

In Which Ginny's Face Goes Red Fifty Times

…

Ginny approached the stage tentatively, looking down at her feet, not looking up to face everyone until she was on the stage. As she stood and faced the crowd of students who were gazing up at her, she felt her stomach give an unpleasant lurch.

She noticed that Hermione was giving her an over-enthusiastic and rather awkward thumbs-up, and Ginny gave a small smile in return, trying to come off as confident, but she knew that she was failing miserably.

Then the piano pressed a key.

Ginny gulped. She opened her mouth and sang the note, her voice quavered slightly due to nerves. The piano proceeded to press about twenty keys in turn, all of which Ginny sang in tune, and increasingly clearer voice as she grew more confident. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, although it felt like thousands of butterflies were swirling in her stomach as if their lives depended on it.

Relief flooded over her when she realized that she was done; it had come and gone surprisingly fast (not that she minded one bit).

__

It's over, she thought, on the verge of giddiness. _I don't have to sing any more!_

Ginny crossed over to Professor Alston rather happily, expecting to pick up the lines that she was supposed to read.

But the professor didn't give them to her. Ginny delicately raised an eyebrow, and was about to ask for her lines when she was cut off.

"Miss Weasley," she muttered lowly, leaning in to her, "Can you do me a favor?"

__

Oh God, Ginny thought. _This can't be good._

"Alright..." She replied warily.

"Great!" said Professor Alston louder, clapping her hands together suddenly. Ginny jumped slightly in surprise, but if Professor Alston noticed, she didn't seem to care. "I was just wondering if you could sing a bit of a song as well?"

Ginny's eyes went wide. Not in a million years.

"Sure," she said, her voice cracking, looking down. "But...why?"

Professor Alston grinned. "Well, you can carry a tune. I just wanted to see if you are able to do more than that. You don't have to sing a lot more, just sing a few lines of a song," she said reassuringly.

"Professor, trust me, I _don't_ sing," Ginny said hastily, "Please, just take my word for it."

Professor Alston shook her head slightly. "I'll keep that in mind, but I daresay I can spot a good singer when I hear one, and I think that you have a decent voice. Just go back up and do the best you can. No pressure, really, no one will think any the less of you for trying."

Ginny nodded rather jerkily in reply, walking back to the center of the stage, her face already beginning to redden deeply.

What was she supposed to sing? There were so, so many songs to choose from. But would it even matter? It wasn't like it would make a difference in the casting choices. So what, she had a half-decent singing voice? Her acting wasn't up to scratch and her dancing was just plain laughable.

For a few moments Ginny just stared. She stared back at everyone who was looking up at her - some students with curiosity on their faces, some with boredom.

She caught Malfoy's gaze, but then instantly regretted it. He was openly smirking at her, and gave a mocking little salute. Ginny flushed deeper and broke eye contact with him.

She knew she had to start singing sometime. Ginny opened her mouth and sang the first song that popped into her head.

In mid-sentence Ginny realized that she had chosen 'It's Magic!' by Celestina Warbeck, and she had to hold back a grimace. There would be time for pity parties later, at any rate.

It was all over in a matter of seconds. She had sung part of the song. Ginny realized that she had closed her eyes so as to not meet the stares of her fellow classmates. As she peeled her eyelids open with hesitation, she saw everyone looking right at her.

She noticed Draco had stopped smirking. His smirk was replaced with an expression that reminded Ginny ever-so-slightly of a deer caught in the headlights, which was a very unusual expression to see on him.

Oh no, did she really do that badly? What could she possibly have done to make everyone look at her like that? Ginny straightened her robes self-consciously before looking over to her teacher.

Professor Alston gave her a nod, and scribbled something down on the piece of parchment she was holding.

The rest of it was a blur - she read a few surprisingly dull lines from the script, and was done. When Professor Alston said that she could sit back down, Ginny let out a huge breath and she nodded.

Ginny's heart still felt like a hammer beating against the underside of her ribs, and she felt slightly ill as she made her way back to her seat.

She was shaking all over. Stares followed her as she walked, making her extremely aware of the excessive skin that she was showing. 'Stupid Ron' flittered through her mind out of nowhere, and a small scowl took place on her face.

As Ginny sat back down in her seat, she braced for the look of pity that Hermione was going to shoot her way. But it never came.

Hermione's face was flush, and her eyes wide, and she was looking like she had just found a Galleon on the ground.

"That was amazing, Ginny," said Hermione, beaming up at her. "I didn't know that you sang!"

Ginny brushed this comment off as she got comfortable in her seat.

"That's because I _don't_ sing, Herm," Ginny said, sounding annoyed. "I sing in the shower. I sing along with The Weird Sisters when they come on the W.W.N. Beyond that, however, I rarely utter a note," she said, dismissively. "Trust me, it is no loss to the world."

Hermione's eyes were practically popping out of her head at Ginny's words. "But Gin -"

"No, I don't want you to try and make me feel better," snapped Ginny.

Hermione just shook her head in disbelief, turning back to watch the auditions. She knew it was hopeless to try and convince Ginny that she was a marvelous singer.

__

At least this part is nearly over, Ginny thought. _Then we all get to dance, and that will be that._

There were only a few audition's after Ginny's - including Blaise Zabini's - but that was to be expected, not many students had last names that began with X, Y, or Z.

When it came to an end, Professor Alston announced that everyone may mingle and relax for a half hour before they would start the dance portion.

She clapped her hands, and instantly a long table with snacks and refreshments appeared toward the back of the Great Hall with a 'pop'.

There was a mad dash of students getting out of their seats and sprinting towards the food.

Ginny's stomach was on the verge of growling, and she scrambled out of her seat along with everyone else, grabbed Hermione's arm, and tugged her along as well.

Hermione gave a small noise of defiance, but Ginny ignored her.

"Ginny, how will we be able to dance if our stomachs are sagging to the ground with food?" Hermione groaned, stumbling behind Ginny as her arm continued to be yanked along.

"That's no concern of mine," replied Ginny simply. "I have the dancing skills of a decomposing grapefruit."

Hermione sighed as they approached the table. Ginny was practically elbowing her way through everyone, trying to grab food. It was a few seconds before Ginny realized Hermione had broken free of her grasp.

__

Is it too much to ask if I could get a bloody chicken leg? Ginny fumed, shoving a person nearby away.

Ginny looked up at the person (it wasn't that she had any intention of apologizing, she just was curious to see who it was) and pursed her lips.

__

Maybe those elves should whip us up some snake, she thought sardonically as her eyes met Draco Malfoy's cool gray ones.

"Well, are you going to apologize for letting your germ-ridden Weasley flesh touch mine?" he asked, ignoring the mess of hungry and rather violent students that flocked around him, trying to reach food.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "First off, you are too bloody old to care about cooties, be mature for once. Secondly, you know very well that there is no way that I will ever apologize to you; I don't know why you even bother."

Draco's expression did not change. "You don't even know how old I am," he said smugly, promptly backhanding a third year in order to grab a biscuit. "You can't say that I'm too old to care, when you don't even know my age. Besides, it is your _obligation_ to apologize to me, especially since you are a _Weasley_." He gave her a smug sneer.

"Malfoy, you turned seventeen on June fifth," said Ginny impatiently. "Now move your ferret-y arse so I can grab a damn apricot."

For a split second Draco just blinked at her, which left her just enough time to shove past him and grab the opposing fruit.

"Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?" Draco snapped, grabbing the wrist that was holding the apricot.

People were starting to ignore the food table and look at the chaos forming around Ginny and Draco. 2

"Get your hands off me," said Ginny calmly, staring him straight into his eyes threateningly, "Or I will remove them _for you_."

Draco smirked, looking down for a second before meeting her gaze again. "Apologize, and I'll let you go," he said, a little bit too innocently to be taken seriously.

"Let me go, and I'll apologize," snapped Ginny, tossing her deep red hair over her shoulder and glaring at him.

Draco pretended to think about this for a moment, before saying, "No, I think that I liked my way better. Let's try that, shall we?" His eyes were wide as he looked at her, amused to see how pissed off she was.

Ginny stared at him for a second, her teeth gritted in anger, and she swiftly kneed him in the groin.

Malfoy instantly let her go, doubling over and kneeling against the tile of the Great Hall, gasping in pain. There were choruses of snickers at this, and everyone was now shoving each other to see what was going on, not to get food.

"A deal is a deal, Malfoy," Ginny said, no trace of amusement on her face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you have such a pathetic, empty and meaningless life that you are forced to mock and harass other people to occupy your time. I'm sorry for the people who have to deal with you day after day, when I'm sure that they could be doing something more productive, like watching the grass grow," she spat, her face the color of a rutabaga.

Professor Alston was walking over to the crowd now, noticing chaos, but Ginny didn't care.

Ginny's face softened slightly, although her hand was so tightly wrapped around the apricot that now it was a mere glob of inedible fruit.

"But most of all, I feel sorry for you," she said quietly, not caring that he was on all fours and looking humiliated. "Because I think that you know what I'm saying is true."

There was a pause when everyone was completely silent, and Hermione's head bobbed through the crowd, trying to make eye contact with her, but Ginny did not look up. She continued staring at Malfoy, who hadn't moved or said anything.

Professor Alston pushed her way through the crowd (which was a huge feat for such a tiny woman) and glanced at Draco, before turning towards Ginny.

"Ms. Weasley, would you care to explain this?" she said briskly, not seeming to care at all that Draco was in pain.

"Not really, Professor," Ginny muttered in reply, "He assaulted me, and refused to let go of my arm. Thus, Malfoy is now on the floor in pain. I did it in self-defense, so I do not expect to be punished for my actions. You can do the math, I'm sure?"

With that, Ginny shoved her way back to her seat, not caring that she was being stared at even more than when she was on stage, not caring that she had significantly ruined her apricot, and not caring that Malfoy would indeed be out for revenge later on.

__

Maybe I should make up with Ron, thought Ginny. _That way, he can beat the crap out of Malfoy _for _me._

…

When Hermione sat down next to Ginny, their break was drawing to a close. The students were all walking considerably slower due to the enormous amounts of food in their stomachs, and they continued to shoot sideways glances at Malfoy and Ginny.

Thankfully Hermione didn't comment about the fiasco, but Ginny knew that she was probably going to tell Harry and Ron about it later.

Professor Alston had been standing on the front of the stage for a few minutes now, telling them to wrap it up, and finally she continued on.

"All of you are nice and full, I'd assume," spoke Professor Alston, her blond ringlets bouncing back and forth as she paced around the stage.

"It is now time to move on to the dancing portion of the audition. Now, as I have told you before, the routine I will be teaching you is short, and simple. Once all of you have learned this routine, I will have you split up into groups, and you will perform on the stage for me. Any questions?" She asked, her eyes scanning the students for raised hands, but there were none. "Alright then, stand up everyone," she said briskly.

Everyone grumpily complied, especially Malfoy, although his walking abilities were improving steadily.

With a flick of her wand, Professor Alston had removed all of the chairs from the Great Hall. There was room to dance now.

Professor Alston led them through the warm up.

__

I am dying, thought Ginny as beads of sweat ran down her face, neck, and onto her chest, where they pooled underneath her camisole. _This is _insane,_ how can anyone do this?_

Professor Alston then ran through the routine step-by-step, which Ginny thought was harder than it should have been. When Professor Alston put it to music and sped up the tempo, however, it became ten times as hard for Ginny.

Once Professor Alston was sure that everyone knew the routine, she spoke again.

"Now, I want everyone to split up into groups of five. If there are people left, it doesn't matter, it doesn't have to be exact."

They all split up into groups of five. Hermione and Ginny joined a group of three young Hufflepuff girls, looking around. Ginny spotted Draco, who was paired up with Blaise. Anger boiled inside her at the sight. _Do they think that they are _above_ being in the same group as other houses? Have they no _shameBut Ginny knew the answer to that, so she forced herself not to think more about it.

When everyone had gotten into groups, Professor Alston continued. "Now, one member from each group, come up to the stage. I will hand you a number, and this will determine which order you will go in to perform."

Hermione left to collect the number and came back a minute later, with a piece of parchment in her hand that bore the number 'eight' across it in bright blue ink.

__

Well, that's not too bad, Ginny reasoned. _There are about twenty groups, we'll be in the middle of the fray._

Much too soon for Ginny's liking, Professor Alston started to call groups up to perform. "Group One, please come up to the stage."

And so it began. It was a bit tedious to Ginny, even though the routines were relatively short. She snapped out of her stupor when Group Seven was called up.

__

It's not like I'll be alone, dancing by myself, Ginny thought, trying to see the positive in what she was about to do. She wasn't going to have to do anything solo like she had done previously.

When Group Eight was called, they climbed up to the stage, Ginny with a look of detached hopelessness crossing her face.

The piano began to play the fast beat. For the whole duration of the song, Ginny never once had her timing right. She was either too fast or too slow - and, try as she might, every movement came off as sloppy and rough.

The piano's music came to a close as Ginny stumbled. She felt her face heating up, but she didn't care. At least the dancing was over.

Ginny felt like she was going to fall over with dizziness. _Dancers must have a real screwed-up vertigo,_ she thought bitterly as she descended from the stage.

She promptly sat down on the floor along with everyone else; Professor Alston hadn't put the chairs back in their place yet. Ginny must have fallen into a light sleep, because the next thing she knew, Hermione was nudging her hard in the ribs.

"Gin, Malfoy and Zabini are up, they're about to perform," she said in a rather loud whisper, nodding towards the stage.

Ginny's eyes darted to the stage as she felt an excited spark in her stomach. They will be terrible, they will be terrible, Ginny's mind chanted in a singsong voice. _There's no way that Malfoy can dance half-way decent even if he tried, he's just been kneed in the nuts!_

Blaise and Draco had climbed onto the stage and took their places on it accordingly. Draco and Blaise both looked very, very bored. Ginny already had a sudden urge to scream. _They need to be nervous!_ Ginny's mind screamed. _It's not fair! They should be shaking and sweating and begging Professor Alston to let them take a rain check!_

The music started playing.

Almost instantly, Ginny's mouth fell open, and she forgot all about her previous thoughts. There was only one thought in her mind.

__

They are brilliant.

Draco and Blaise moved gracefully across the stage floor, turning and moving at the right times effortlessly, like they had been dancing all of their lives. Ginny knew that this was preposterous, however. A Malfoy taking dancing lessons? That would be a cold day in hell.

Suddenly, Ginny mentally started chanting. _'Trip, trip, trip, trip….'_

Ginny noticed vaguely that Draco's face was contorted in (very mild) concentration. She gulped suddenly, feeling her face redden out of nowhere, but was unable to draw her eyes away from him. Back and forth, spinning and jumping, striding around -

And it was over.

Ginny blinked a few times before she realized that they were done dancing. Her breathing was a bit shallow, and Hermione looked over at her with a curious expression on her face.

"I wonder how they know how to dance like that," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I doubt that it's natural, they must have had _some_ amount of practice."

Ginny gaped at her. "Really? I don't think that a Slytherin would take dancing lessons, 'Mione. I just can't imagine Malfoy in tights, taking instruction from another person. It's just not how he operates."

The image of a tight-clad Draco popped into her mind briefly, and she shook her head.

Hermione said, "Dunno. We may never know, for that matter. The fact that he dances well doesn't really surprise me, to be honest. Malfoy isn't like a normal wizard. He _has_ to be good at everything, he's nothing short of obsessive. Att least he's not good at Quidditch," she chuckled.

Ginny snorted. "Yeah, especially placed up against Harry," she said offhandedly.

The rest of the auditions were a blur to Ginny. When they ended, Professor Alston took her place at the head of the stage.

"Good job, everyone," she spoke, sounding a bit out of breath, "The casting list will be posted tomorrow, after dinner - in the mean time, everyone continue looking over your scripts and start to familiarize yourselves with the characters. Unfortunately, dinner is approaching fast, so I cannot divulge much more information right now. Good luck to you all, and I will see you next class."

Ginny collapsed on her bed a half hour later. She hadn't stayed to eat dinner, she just asked Hermione to bring something up for her to eat later. Right now she wanted to rest, and put the auditions in the back of her mind, along with her anger.

The thoughts of Draco moving across the stage were the last thoughts she had before she fell into a light sleep.

…

Next Chapter: Malfoy. Ginny. Prefect's Bathroom. Need I say more? Oh, fine. The casting list, and Ginny talks to Prof. Alston.

A/N: You know how I said that I would write something that would move the plot along? Well, sorry, that's next chapter, I didn't realise this would get so long. I am SO SORRY this took so long, I just completely forgot about it and I didn't think much time had gone by at all! I can't believe it! THIS IS ROUGHLY WRITTEN AND I HATE IT.

I'd like to thank all reviewers. Reviewers will have good lives forever.

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